Acme vs ShopRite: Who is Cheaper?
Acme Market’s is a grocery store with about 160 stores in the Northeast. They are part of the Albertson’s company. ShopRite is a cooperative of 300 stores also located in the Northeast.
To find out if Acme or ShopRite is cheaper for groceries, we will do a price comparison on a full week’s worth of groceries. Scroll to the end to see the final verdict!
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Is Acme more expensive than ShopRite?
For this price comparison, I have made a meal plan for a family of 4 using “25 Cheap food that fills you up when you are broke!” as a guide. Our plan is to get groceries for a week that are healthy and cheap!
Here is our meal plan:
Breakfasts
- Ham and Mushroom Scrambled Eggs
- Biscuits with Sausage Gravy
- Vanilla Yogurt with Blueberries
- Cinnamon Toast with Strawberries
- Cheese Toast
Lunches
- Salad with Ham and Hard Boiled Eggs
- Baked Potato with Sour Cream
- Egg Salad with Saltines
- Grilled Cheese with Corn Chips
- Dinner Leftovers
Dinners
- Scalloped Potatoes with Ham and Cheddar Cheese
- Ground Beef and Mushroom Stroganoff (beef broth, green bell pepper, egg noodles, cream of mushroom soup, and sour cream)
- Ground Beef Chili over Brown Rice (canned tomatoes, kidney beans, chili powder, green bell pepper) with Canned Corn
- Grilled Chicken with Brown Rice and Peas
- Leftover Grilled Chicken with Cream Cheese Topping (ranch powder, fresh tomatoes, and cheddar cheese) and Butter Noodles
- Ham, Cheese, and Broccoli Stromboli
Snacks
- Celery sticks with ranch dressing
- Popcorn
- Corn Chips
Sweet Treat
- Saltine “Crack” Brittle
For this price comparison, I am using prices available in Aberdeen, Maryland. I will be selecting items for our meal plan that are the absolute cheapest.
This means mostly generic store brand options and the smallest size needed. This may not be the best value, but we are going for the cheapest option.
We are assuming that we already have kitchen basics like cooking oil, seasonings, salt/pepper, and baking powder at home. Everything else needed for the meal plan will need to be purchased.
For a more in depth break down on how I would make this meal plan work, check out “Healthy Grocery List for Family of 4 on a Budget #6.”
Produce Section
This is all the fresh vegetables and fruits we need for the week.
| Item | Shop Rite Price | Acme Price |
| Mushrooms | 8oz sliced= $2.29 | 8oz sliced= $2.50 |
| Blueberries | 1 pint= $3.49 *on sale* | 1 pint= $4.99 |
| Strawberries | 16oz = $3.49 * on sale* | 16oz= $4.99 |
| Potatoes | 5lb bag of russets= $3.49 *on sale* | 5lb bag of russets= $4.49 |
| Lettuce | Green leaf head= $1.99 | Romaine Head= $2.49 |
| Tomato x2 | $1.79 a lb tomato on the vine = $1.80 | $2.99 a lb tomato on the vine= $1.98 |
| Cucumber | $0.66 each | $0.99 each |
| Green Bell Pepper | $0.56 each *on sale* | $1.29 each |
| Celery | 1 bunch= $1.99 | 1 bunch= $1.99 *on sale* |
| Total: (9 items) | $19.76 | $25.71 |
In the produce section, Shop Rite came out cheaper with a total of $19.76. This was $5.95 cheaper than Acme’s total of $25.71.
Deli/Meats
This is all the meats that we will need from the deli and meat counter.
| Item | Shop Rite Price | Acme Price |
| Diced Ham | Smithfield 8oz pack =$2.49 *on sale* | Smithfield 8oz pack= $2.99 *on sale* |
| 1lb ground beef | $4.49 a lb *on sale* | $5.99 a lb |
| Chicken Breasts (4-6) | $2.99 a lb (3.5lbs)= $10.47 | $3.99 a lb (4lbs)= $15.96 |
| Total: (3 items) | $17.45 | $24.94 |
In the meat section, Shop Rite came out cheaper with a total of $17.45. This was $7.49 cheaper than Acme’s total of $24.94.
Dry Goods
This is all the dry goods and shelf stable items that we need for our meal plan.
| Item | Shop Rite Price | Acme Price |
| Sausage Gravy Mix | Southeastern Mills Gravy mix = $0.79 | Pioneer Gravy Mix = $1.89 |
| Sandwich bread | Bowl & Basket 20oz white= $1.29 | Signature Select 20oz white= $1.99 |
| Saltines | Bowl & Basket 16oz box = $1.79 | Signature Select 16oz box = $2.69 |
| Corn Chips | Fritos 15.5oz bag = $4.00 *on sale* | Fritos 9.25 oz bag = $5.19 *on sale* |
| Beef Broth | Shop Rite 14.5oz can = $0.99 | Signature Select 14.5oz can = $1.29 |
| Egg Noodles | Light N Fluffy 12oz bag = $1.88 *on sale* | Signature Select 12oz bag = $2.49 |
| Cream of Mushroom Soup | Campbell’s 10.5oz can = $1.99 | Signature Select 10.5oz can = $1.39 |
| Canned Tomatoes | Bowl & Basket 14.5oz can = $0.99 | Signature Select 14.5 oz can = $1.19 |
| Chili Powder | Badia 2.5oz jar = $2.49 | Signature Select 2.5oz jar = $2.99 |
| Kidney Beans | Shop Rite 15oz can = $0.99 | Signature Select 15.5oz can = $0.99 |
| Brown Rice | Bowl & Basket 1lb bag= $0.79 | Signature Select 2lb bag= $2.29 |
| Ranch Powder | Hidden Valley 1pack = $2.09 | Signature Select 4pack= $2.39 |
| Ranch Dressing | Wish-Bone 24oz bottle = $1.50 *on sale* | Signature Select 16oz bottle = $2.00 |
| Popcorn | Pop Secret 3bags= $2.00 *on sale* | Signature Select 3bags= $1.99 |
| Brown Sugar | Domino 1lb box = $1.99 | Signature Select 1lb bag= $1.79 |
| Cinnamon | McCormick 2.37 oz jar = $3.99 | Signature Select 2.37oz jar = $3.29 |
| Chocolate Chips | Bowl & Basket 12oz bag = $2.19 | Signature Select 12oz bag = $2.99 |
| Canned Corn | Shop Rite 15.25 oz can = $0.89 | Signature Select 15.25oz can = $0.99 |
| Total: (18 items) | $32.64 | $39.83 |
In the dry goods section, Shop Rite came out cheaper with a total of $32.64. This was $7.19 cheaper than Acme’s total of $39.83.
Frozen Foods
These are the frozen items needed for this week’s meal plan.
| Item | Shop Rite Price | Acme Price |
| Frozen Peas | Bowl & basket 16oz bag = $2.29 | Signature Select 12oz bag = $1.99 |
| Frozen Broccoli | Bowl & basket 12oz bag = $1.49 | Signature Select 12oz bag = $1.99 |
| Total: (2 items) | $3.78 | $3.98 |
In the frozen section, Shop Rite came out cheaper with a total of $3.78. This was $0.20 cheaper than Acme’s total of $3.98.
Dairy Section
These are all the dairy items needed like milk and cheeses.
| Item | Shop Rite Price | Acme Price |
| Eggs | Bowl & Basket 12ct brown = $2.79 | Lucerne Farms 12ct white= $2.99 |
| 2% milk | Bowl & Basket gallon= $3.99 *on sale* | Lucerne Farms gallon= $3.79 |
| American Cheese | Borden 16ct slices = $2.49 *on sale* | Borden 16ct slices = $2.77 *on sale* |
| Shredded Cheddar Cheese 16oz | Bowl & Basket 16oz bag= $3.99 | Lucerne 16oz bag = $4.99 |
| Vanilla Yogurt | Dannon 32oz container = $2.50 *on sale* | Lucerne 32oz container = $3.29 |
| Sour Cream | Bowl & Basket 8oz container = $1.19 *on sale* | Lucerne 8oz container = $1.39 |
| Cream Cheese Block | Bowl & Basket 8oz block = $0.99 * on sale* | Lucerne 8oz block = $1.99 *on sale* |
| Biscuits | Pillsbury 6oz can= $1.99 | Signature Select 16oz can = $2.69 |
| Total: (7 items) | $19.93 | $23.90 |
In the dairy section, Shop Rite came out cheaper with a total of $19.93. This was $3.97 cheaper than Acme’s total of $23.90.
Is Shop Rite cheaper than Acme?
Shop Rite consistently came in cheaper in each section, so let’s take a look at the overall totals.
| Section | Shop Rite Price | Acme Price |
| Produce | $19.76 | $25.71 |
| Deli/Meats | $17.45 | $24.94 |
| Dry Goods | $32.64 | $39.83 |
| Frozen Foods | $3.78 | $3.98 |
| Dairy | $19.93 | $23.90 |
| Overall Total: (40 items) | $93.56 | $118.36 |
Overall, Shop Rite is cheaper than Acme with a total of $93.56. This was $24.80 (about 21%) cheaper than Acme’s total of $118.36.
By switching your shopping from Acme to Shop Rite, you could potentially lower your grocery budget by 20%. That is a significant amount of money, and you could save more by shopping the sales flyer every week.
If you love Acme and want to save more money, try out their grocery delivery! They currently have a deal where you can get $20 off your first order and free delivery.
For more grocery store price comparisons, check out “Price Rite vs Stop and Shop: Who is Cheaper?” and “Winn Dixie vs Walmart: Who is Cheaper?“
